This invention relates to a supercharged motor vehicle and more particularly to an improved arrangement for supercharging an internal combustion engine.
The use of superchargers as a means for increasing the power of an internal combustion without increasing its displacement is well known. With multi-cylinder engines, it is desirable to have the supercharger discharge its output into a plenum chamber which, in turn, delivers the pressurized air and/or fuel mixture to the individual cylinders of the engine. The use of the plenum chamber is desirable to insure that the pressure delivered to the cylinders is equal. However, such an arrangement presents certain difficulties, primarily in the placement of the various components and the driving of the supercharger. With modern motor vehicles and particularly those embodying transverse engine front wheel drive, the placement difficulties become magnified. For example, it is desirable to place the plenum chamber as close to the cylinders as possible to insure that it will perform its intended function. Also, it is desirable to maintain a relatively short conduit that runs from the supercharger outlet to the plenum chamber so as to reduce pumping losses. However, these problems are particularly difficult in the environment as aforedescribed.
In addition to the problems in connection with laying out of the conduits and plenum chamber for the induction system, the driving arrangement for the supercharger also presents certain difficulties.
Normally, a variety of accessories are driven by the engine and when a supercharger is also driven by the engine, the driving arrangements for all of the accessories and supercharger can become quite complicated. In addition, the location of the drive for the supercharger to some extent dictates where the supercharger will be positioned and this further aggravates the layout problems previously described.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved and compact arrangement for a supercharged internal combustion engine.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an arrangement for supercharging a multiple cylinder engine wherein a plenum chamber is incorporated in the induction system and wherein the conduitry between the supercharger plenum and plenum chamber and intake ports is simplified.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved and simplified driving arrangement for a supercharged internal combustion engine.